(This article updated 8/25/25 – so many changes since this article was first posted, it was time for an update – BW)
For many years, junk and robocalls were relatively few and far between for most people. The National Do Not Call Registry worked well for a while for people in the U.S. Legitimate companies were generally very compliant, and the violations were rare.
But over the last few years, the number of junk calls started climbing. Nearly 46 billion robocalls went out in 2020 in the US alone.
Thankfully, the FCC in the United States has issued a mandate for all voice service providers to have the robocall-fighting “STIR/SHAKEN” technology in place by no later than June 30, 2021, according to a news release. More about that later.
All the major carriers offer some kind of basic free protection, along with paid upgrades. Here’s a summary of what’s available.
AT&T – Active Armor
AT&T has merged Call Protect with its ActiveArmor Mobile Security app. Through ActiveArmor, AT&T has continued to expand the scope of its original Call Protect program to include automatic fraud blocking, suspected spam-call alerts, additional device security and more.
As an analytics-based blocking program, AT&T says that ActiveArmor allows it to determine whether an incoming call is legitimate or part of a scam or other robocall scheme.
AT&T’s basic robocall-blocking software is included for free with every plan. It includes auto fraud call blocking, spam risk blocking, nuisance call alerts and controls, call routing, unknown calls to voicemail, personal block lists, block all texts from email, device security and breach reports.
You may also choose to upgrade to the advanced software for $3.99 per month per line; it’s included for free with Extra/Premium plans. The advanced software includes all the key features of the basic software plus public Wi-Fi protection, identity monitoring, reverse number lookup, caller ID, safe browsing and theft alerts (Android only).
T-Mobile (and Deutsche Telekom) – Scam Shield
T-Mobile also has a robocall-blocking feature, Scam Shield, to protect customers from unwanted spam calls. Among its features:
- Free scam ID and blocking will flag suspicious calls and let you block them.
- Free enhanced caller ID will show verification if it’s a real person or business.
- Help yourself and others by reporting scam calls and robocalls right in the app, which will help prevent these calls in the future.
Scam Shield is available to all T-Mobile customers.
While Scam Shield is free, an upgraded service called Scam Shield Premium is available for $4 per month per line.
Scam Shield Premium will let you send telemarketing calls to voicemail, set up “always block” lists, enable reverse phone number lookup and get voicemail-to-text services.
Verizon – Call Filter
Verizon offers both free and paid options to reduce unwanted robocalls in your life.
On the free side, the Call Filter service helps to identify and block robocalls. Verizon customers get alerts when a spam call is suspected and they can report unsolicited numbers. In addition, the service will automatically block robocalls based on your preferred level of risk.
A paid upgrade, called Call Filter Plus, is $3.99 per month for one line or $10.99 per month for three or more lines. In addition to just spam detection, blocking and reporting, the paid version also includes caller ID, a spam risk meter, a personal block list and the ability to block calls by category.
You can learn more about both the free and paid options here.
O2 & Vodafone
You can register your number on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). This is a free service and should reduce calls from companies, unless you have requested them to call or text you. This is the only service of this type.
Register your mobile number for free by texting TPS and your email address to 85095.
You should get less unsolicited calls after a few days, although it can take up to 28 days to be fully effective.
Free Third-Party Apps: Truecaller, Call Control, Hiya, and YouMail
In addition to signing up for the National Do Not Call Registry in the US and checking out your service provider’s free call protection software, there are tons of apps on the market now targeted toward blocking robocalls.
Unfortunately, not every call-blocking app is free. Even the ones that are free are difficult to accurately compare. Here are a few of the best options we’ve found, all of which work worldwide;
Truecaller is highly rated on the App Store and Google Play by millions of users. It offers protection against fraudulent calls and SMS text messages with the free plan. Additional features vary between Android and iOS devices. For $9.99 monthly, you can upgrade to premium features.
Call Control offers call blocking on your cell phone or home phone and allows you to create a personalized blocklist. Like Truecaller, its features also include reverse lookup for spam numbers.
Hiya uses an algorithm that determines if there is a phone number making thousands of brief phone calls. Additionally, app users can report fraudulent phone numbers.
YouMail uses a robust Robocall Index to identify “bad” numbers and block them from your phone. Other free features include accurate caller ID and custom voicemail greetings.
(geek section) SHAKEN and STIR-red (US only)
The FCC in the United States has issued a mandate for all voice service providers to have the robocall-fighting “STIR/SHAKEN” technology in place by no later than June 30, 2021. How does this robocall-blocking technology work? Two technologies, in particular, will be at play going forward:
- Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs (SHAKEN)
- Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR)
They’re dual tech efforts that aim to verify a given call originates from the number that it says it does. The key is the use of “token technology” creating a digital signature as a stamp of approval when a call originates.
Unfortunately, the two technologies won’t out-and-out block robocalls when used together. What they will do is show some mark of verification on your phone to indicate that a call is legitimately coming from the number you see displayed.
It’s all too much – I need some help!
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Article excerpted from Clark.com.
